jetstream

@Littleguy80 whats your thoughts about eyepiece selection for dark ones and associated nebs? I like to try all the eyepieces out and note the low scatter ones. I think Joes 430mm f5.9 will take more mag on some bright objects like the Lagoon and Swan than is typically used.

Yes, perfect! M24 is also a goto object as you mention- I love these great objects with dark nebs in and around them. The Williams Optics 73mm, 430mm fl is so perfect for these Imho!

I still get lost in the stars lol! espc near Cepheus for some reason, I've been so lost I just sat in the lawn chair staring up😀

Personally, observing dark nebula that are located near bright objects can help things out. Defining "bright" objects can also help- the other night I observed the North American nebula, warming up with the OIII then straight to no filtered viewing. There are 2 nice big dark nebs (and more) up there which might be worth a look to identify. Starting out on dark nebs can be frustrating, but searching out the largest ones can help-if you use the right scope and eyepiece IMHO. Very widefields can help the obviously unfiltered view of these dark treasures.

I thought starting a thread on seeing what folks use on these might help those travelling to dark sites. @scarp15 and @Littleguy80 might have some good ideas here. I know @badhex has a dark site adventure coming and pre planning can really help when the stars drown out the constellations. Actually goto is a valuable resource here espc when one might not be used to the overwhelming effect that the stars have on a dark night sky. Thoughts anyone?, Ger

Oh no! Yes this object is purely amazing in the 24"/Nikon 17 HW, it drops the jaw everytime observed. Great to see you imaging Alan you are producing very good results. Here I hope to try lunar imaging to get my feet wet and then planetary next year when Jupiter starts to climb. Do you plan on another large dob? I find them great- but -mine are assembled and wheeled 8 feet out of a sea can for use and storage in minutes. Always cooled too. Do you still have that excellent 115mm LZOS?

@alan potts what a great image Alan!

Eagerly waiting the report.

Yes, our US cabin owner neighbors are here now and seem pretty happy to be back. It will sure be nice to be able to go to the US again. We're all double Pfizered up here.

Roadtrip!😀 It would be a fun adventure- the USA is a great place to travel through and visit.

Sorry to copy you on this John

@Louis D its all not so bad, she had this silly notion of me spending time with her and not me spending time with my scopes

A bunch of us have eyepieces of different styles and brands. There is a reason. Picking certain ones for certain things help maximize the views. Lots of experienced info in this thread to help you choose. An example could be picking one hyperwide for low power views like the APM 20mm 100. For high power planetary views Delos/Pentax XW, Delites and possibly Morphs could be another. Keeping an open, non brand specific mind can help IMHO. Of course I like my cheap, used Circle T orthos for many things lol!

YES.

👍 This is exactly how I feel.

Years ago I was trying to explain DSO astrophotography colour to a co worker. Went through the use of filters, the colour attached to them and why the images look like they do. He said, "oh you add the colour?" the images are black and white originally? Then he said " obviously the colour is fake". People can do what they want but a realistic representation of image colour would excellent,and if its realistic they should all be similar IMHO.

Thats a very nice place, I wanted to go on an astro vacation with my 15" to Colorado, New Mexico and visit Terry O in California- the invitations were there but the wife squashed the idea

Ya but Louis- what about my ultra low premium 12.5mm Circle T that knocked my socks off viewing Jupiter last night in the 24" under very good seeing?😀 ps shoulda had the TSA120 out to test go figure.

I hear where youre coming from. You still need a 17/14mm Nikon HW though! One of the "Super Premiums"

Yes, but I've not used this scope that much actually, just circumstances. I dont typically observe the planets when low, even still, this scope will do Jupiter with the 2.4mm HR Vixen at times at this elevation. The lake is causing me issues and is variable in nature. After freeze up things will improve.

I live in Canada - NW Ontario on a lake near the end of a gravel road.

To me the title "premium" is earned - through performance, like the 10mm Baader Classic Ortho.

Another vg night presented itself and the TSA120/AZEQ6/Baader prism diag were set up, cooled and ready to go. HIP74818 gave a 6.65 NELM which Stellarium says is 6.85 mag altitude (airmass) adjusted. This is a quick report. Many many objects were seen, including the Veil and North American no filter. Popping the OIII on greatly enhanced the contrast as expected. The 30 ES, while a good eyepiece is not up to Ethos contrast levels here. The views were good, with Pickerings Wisp showing as well. Carolines Rose showed a delicate smattering of stars as did other similar objects. Now for what I see as the TSA120's absolute strengths and one surprised me. Jupiter is low and I'm observing over a lake, up about 60 ft above it. This presents challenges until the planets get high. This said the TSA120 started to punch through the seeing. Nearing its peak altitude the excellent glass reveal startling detail for such low mag 112x-265x. The 8mm Delos was top notch and delivering detail that shouldnt be there for such low mag. At the peak, the Vixen HR 3.4mm had super detail coming through in spurts, like really good. There is no doubt in my mind now how good this scope will be on the planets once they get to a high altitude.It shocked me with the views in sub par conditions. The second absolute strength of the TSA120 is dark nebula, a favorite sub hobby within a hobby. So far no scope has shown them better than this Tak. Up in theEagle, near Tarazed are 2 show case dark nebula B142 and B143. Stunning, just stunning. A buddy just arrived for morning coffee, so I'm off for a dark roast!

If it even comes close to the one on the left its a big accomplishment. I think it will compete personally. The 17.3D is a favorite in this camp.

Your experience is not only a testament to the Morpheus's ability but also to the quality of your scopes optics, another requirement to get good eyepiece performance, along with good sky conditions.IMHO. Its amazing the views possible when everything comes together.